And the Walls Come Tumbling Down

NoSmoke wrote:I have had it for 6 years in my home with no issues, and am glad I used it. To run black iron pipe would have been a real bear in this application, and copper would have been super expensive and a lot less robust compared to the CSST.

I cannot see how it would be worse then copper in a lightning strike, I thought copper conducted electricity a lot better then stainless steel? And it would seem to me that one continuous tube from point A to Point B would be far better then black iron pipe filled with numerous fittings and the potential for leaks? I had no idea though that it was not a Home-Owner type of product. I would think it would be perfect for that, grab and end of it and make a run to the appliance and be done with it.

I don't worry about nay-sayers too much. I learned a long time ago whenever something new comes out, people find something wrong it. My propane company said the same thing about a 2 lb system at my house; how it was unsafe and that they would never hook up a 2 lb system for their customers and all that, and then 2 years later they tell me they have adopted the design and now use it all the time.

Change takes time.

Well it's fortunate that you have had CSST in your home for 6 years and have had "no issues with it." Cause if you did have an issue with it, your home would have exploded or burned or both. Feel free to disregard my information but please take a minute and actually read what I'm saying before you do.

First no one has issues with it until their home is struck by lightning. Even homes that were not struck directly but experienced a nearby lightning strike have had failures of the CSST. It blows holes through it like this. Once that happens, there is an explosion or a very serious fire coming out of that hole. I know of two homes in my area that have had devastating fires from the failure of CSST due to lightning.

Second, the NFPA are not "Nay-sayers." If you don't know who and what the NFPA is you should google them. They are a serious well respected organization who do testing and write code for many things such as this.

Third the manufacturers of CSST knew of these problems and downplayed them, claiming they were caused by "faulty installation." I can assure you there is plenty of CSST that is improperly installed. But even when properly installed and bonded per their specs, it still fails. The CSST industry has come out with a new version of the product callled "Counter-Strike" which looks identical to original CSST except it has a black covering. They are claiming it is "400 times more lightning resistant to damage than regualr CSST." Personally I'm not yet convinced of that. What I am convinced of is that CSST is a defective material and will eventually be recalled. These things take time to wind through the process.

Fourth, ignoring the facts because your home has not had a problem with its CSST is a bad long term strategy. Your conclusions about the relative safety of CSST compared to black iron or even copper could not be more wrong. Again feel free to disregard all I am saying but remember you heard it here when the stinky stuff hits the fan.

Of course ya know that some just like defending the undefendable. AA's no fool, I'd bet he's got it figured out by now.

I hear ya Fred. I'm sure AA has heeded the warning. It's nosmoke I'm trying to reach. This is a subject I happen to deal with just about everyday. Most people have no idea of the potential problems associated with this material. And that includes many so called professionals who are still installing it. I agree, other than the fact that it will fail and blow up or burn down your house, it's a great material. It is costly but installation is quick and pretty easy. No cutting that old fashioned black iron pipe to length and threading it. A plumber could pipe out 3 houses in the time it takes to do one in back iron.

Any material can fail if it not installed correctly including black iron. But once installed correctly, black iron is not going to fail. CSST will and does.

No csst used here. I run 3/4 black pipe. I am using copper at the hook up point at the stove, and yellow coated copper underground (inside electrical conduet) from the tank to the second stage regulator. Rented a trencher this weekend. The tank is only a 25 foot run from the house, but with the ground frozen I figured to give my shovel and back a break.